The First Movement: Jitterbug
by AlyssaFish
Summary: Raijin wants Fujin and Seifer to dance.


This is the first in a series of one-shots spanning different fandoms, because for some reason I like writing about characters dancing. It takes place sometime after the events of Final Fantasy VIII. I have to credit VNV Nation for inspiring the dance in this one. Their song, _Beloved_, isn't the song that Fujin and Seifer dance to, but listening to it helped me write that scene, which is why I put the lyrics I did at the end.

**The First Movement**

Jitterbug

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Bodies moved in turning couples, footsteps lost on the marble floor. The music played on and on.

The ex-Disciplinary Committee was sitting in the dark. The lights hurt Seifer's eyes, so they picked a table safe in the shadows of a grand staircase to sit and watch the dancers. Raijin, always helpful, had gotten them drinks. Fujin had long since finished hers. They both couldn't help notice that Seifer had barely touched his. He was watching the dancers. Round and round the couples spun under an open, starless sky.

Fujin watched him. She tried not to stare, swinging her one eye back to the dance floor or to Raijin when Seifer would shift in his seat. Her ankle was swinging nervously out of beat with the band. She didn't think she'd ever been this far from him before, his foot just inches away from hers. She could have nudged it if she could think of a good word to say when he would turn his face to stare at her like she was the one who had lost her mind.

One dance ended and another began. The floor became less like a mosh pit as there was a scramble to make pairs.

It wasn't too long ago when all he had to do was step into a room and he would have had fifty pairs of eyes on him, all belonging to girls just waiting to leap into his open arms and fly across the floor. Everyone wanted to dance with the rebellious authoritarian, the dashing knight-to-be.

Lancelot had it easy. He only had to spend the rest of his life chanting in a monastery and die a loved man.

Fujin twisted her napkin, something for her hands to do. Unlike her, Seifer's hands hadn't stopped shaking all evening. He never succumbed to anything, not even to the medication Dr. Kadowaki prescribed for the nightmares and the mood swings Ultimecia had left as a going-away gift to his damaged psyche. He never liked doing things the easy way. One hand clutched the glass, the other drumming fingers on the tabletop. She hated seeing him so beaten, his dreams crushed and sanity flimsily stuck together. She got scared when he picked up chairs and threw them across the room when minutes before he had only been sulking under the covers. It wasn't because she thought she was the one who would get hurt.

She sighed, a rough huff that couldn't be heard over the giggling from a passing cluster of girls. A few of them glanced over at the table. Fujin stared back, rolling one eye into a steely glare and Raijin shifting nervously like he didn't know what to do with himself. They didn't pay any attention to them, but were staring at Seifer. They quickly looked away and bent into the group, starting the whispers. Blood rushed to her pale face as Fujin felt her heart start to pound. She glanced at Seifer. He looked like he hadn't noticed, but he looked like that all the time now when he wasn't drowning in guilt or in a euphoric high. He lowered his head, his chin almost touching the tabletop. She clenched her jaw. She had to let it go. She had to pretend that she hadn't noticed. It was easier, being ignorant like Raijin. Stupid, stupid Raijin…

"Hey, you two should go out there for a few and dance, ya know?"

There were moments when Raijin was joking and there were moments when Raijin was perfectly serious. Raijin had on his serious face when Fujin looked up. She felt the urge to throw her empty glass at him. He really was an idiot. Dance with Seifer. Some things just didn't happen, even when you had a posse.

She looked at Seifer and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the same, guarded, wary look she was sure she had. He didn't quite look her in the eye, but he wordlessly positioned his hands flat on the tabletop as if he meant to stand up, but could pass it off as a meaningless gesture if Fujin didn't go with him. He couldn't be serious. He was just making a joke or something, trying to get back to his mean old self. Fujin wasn't anything like those social butterflies he took flying across the floor while they shamelessly flirted with him. Any minute now he'd look up at her with an awful smirk and tell her to _be serious_. But the look in his face Fujin saw was anything but, and she knew that if she didn't stand up to join him he was the one going to end up hurt.

Fujin's body moved of its own accord as she pushed her chair away from the table. They stepped onto the marble, standing on the edge of the floor. Even now Seifer managed to have an uncanny knack for leaving girls flustered and speechless, so it was far too late when she realized, after they stood opposite each other for a few moments staring at the ground while couples brushed past them, that she had never danced before in her life. Seifer seemed to know what to do, though. Like he was working rust from his joints, he took her hand in his and put the other one on her waist. She realized that she was supposed to put her other hand on his shoulder and was left staring into his chest. Had he always been this tall?

She kept her weight to herself so he could always choose to pull away and go back to Raijin and the solace of the table. He didn't. Seifer started to sway. Fujin swallowed, staring at his feet. She shuffled her own, getting nowhere. He took a few steps one way, and she lagged behind, stiff against his arm. She could tell he wasn't looking at her either, halfheartedly moving from side to side.

It was wrong. She'd imagined how it'd feel to be dancing on the floor, watching other people spin and tumble like they'd just found a new way to get naturally high, and this wasn't it. Seifer's hand was cold and clammy on hers, like he might have spent too much time gripping his precious gunblade in the rain, his fingers twitching beyond his control. It was hardly a hand that seemed ready to receive a favor from an admirer or escort a lady across the road. He couldn't seem to keep them steady for anything. Not writing, not tying his shoes, they left his gunblade standing alone in the corner, desperately wanting to be polished.

She'd never cried before, and she wasn't going to start now, surrounded by people ready to gawk at the spectacle. She'd never thought that she would be the one who wanted to get away from him.

"What's the matter?"

Startled, Fujin looked up, finding herself staring into his face for the first time in weeks. He was tired, his cheeks hollow and dark circles smudged under his eyes. He didn't look sad or angry. She couldn't remember the last time he'd been happy, not frenzied. Poor Seifer. Even mean, ugly Fujin doesn't want to dance with him…

"NOTHING," she stated.

Something flickered in Seifer's eyes. Fujin didn't quite catch what it was, but it made her stomach flip and she was sure if she'd been more like the other girls who'd danced with him, she would have run away screaming. Seifer's shaking hand tightened its grip on hers and suddenly he drew her tighter to himself, taking off across the floor before she could find the strength to steel her heals on the marble.

Fujin moved quicker than she ever had to keep up with him. She tried concentrating on her footsteps to keep from tripping over herself, but somehow she didn't need to. He was off and she was clinging to him for dear life, trying not to vomit as he pushed her through the crowds and waiting for it to be over. Colors blurred all around her head, but she kept her focus on the dark gray of Seifer, music driving into her head as it echoed loudly across the wide, crowded floor. It blurred and rocked her vision with the musky scent of sweat, perfume, and gunpowder. Tight, loud shoes and soft twirling fabric. They must've bumped into at least ten couples on their way around, but Seifer was moving with a relentless ferocity that couldn't have been stopped by a brick wall.

Fujin couldn't think straight, she could only follow him, locked in his arms and fighting to stay on her toes. It was ethereal. Nothing else mattered but staying with the beat Seifer was pounding out on his own with his steps and loud breaths. She'd never been like this before. Even in the heat of battle, she'd always had a plan, something to stick and concentrate to. Now, everything was loose and out of control. She was dancing with Seifer Almasy on the crowded ballroom floor of Balamb Garden. That was it. The universe had just been drained of its last bit of unpredictability. All they needed now was Irvine to take a vow of chastity and hell would finally freeze over.

Fujin didn't realize that they had stopped until she felt her heart pounding in her ears and the dark, night air chilling the now exposed spots where Seifer's warm body had once been pressed against hers. They were on the balcony, and Seifer was doubled over, panting and supporting himself on his knees.

"TIRED?" she asked.

"…like…hell…" he gasped, swinging himself up to stand straight. His hands were shaking worse than before. "Well…how'd you like…that?"

Fujin shrugged. "OKAY."

Seifer scowled darkly, and Fujin noticed the smallest pout threatening the corner of his mouth, like he'd just been denied something.

"O_kay_?" Seifer echoed.

Fujin shrugged. Seifer stared at her like he had never seen anything like her in his life.

"That was a dance that would make most of the girls in there drop _weeping_ at the foot of my bed," he insisted, throwing gestures to the ballroom.

Fujin tilted her head, turning away. "CHURLISH."

Seifer huffed like he considered it a personal insult and Fujin heard a thud as he settled heavily on the balcony's railing to support his weight. He scoffed, "What would you know, you don't dance."

Fujin defiantly crossed her arms over her chest. "CRUDE."

Seifer jerked his head and made a _tch_ing noise, turning his back to her and spitting over the side of the balcony. His entire upper body was hunched over the railing, like it was the only thing keeping him up. His arms were folded around each other and he shivered like he was cold.

"Hey," Raijin's voice boomed as the man strode onto the balcony. "Found you. That was really somethin'. I mean, I thought you were going to hurt yourselves, ya know?"

"Oh, for the love of Hyne!" Seifer slammed his fists on the railing. "How it slipped past me that neither of you appreciate fine art I'll never know."

Fujin barked a laugh. Raijin squinted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Art's, like, what they got hanging on the walls. You guys out there….dancing…that was better than looking at one of those, ya know, paintings."

"DANCE NOT," Fujin scowled, feeling herself blush furiously.

Seifer's face grew red. Even in the dark Fujin could see his temper skyrocket. He awkwardly pushed himself up and defiantly swaggered forward.

"Hey, I took the lessons, all right?" he said, jabbing a finger at them. "I _know_ the steps, a hell of a lot better than _most_ people who ditched the class."

Fujin tried rolling her eyes, but her heart was still fluttering. Seifer put his shaking arms around an imaginary partner and started to take smooth, definite steps in place.

"The Foxtrot," he explained, moving a little to the side. A few more steps. "The Cha Cha."

"I know that one," Raijin said happily.

"You do?" Seifer said mockingly, but not too nastily. He turned and took long, solid paces up and down the floor. He dipped the empty air in his arms. "The _tango_."

Fujin brought her hands together and gave them three short, sarcastic claps. Raijin started to bounce on his toes, like he was getting ready to punch someone out.

"Hey, hey, I can waltz, ya know? I was there too, ya remember?"

"Yes, you broke that stupid red-head's toe," Seifer said. "She didn't know when to get out of people's way. _Fujin_, I recall, was mysteriously absent from that lesson so _she_ has no idea about the grace and elegance that is the waltz, come, Raijin, let's enlighten her."

Sefier held out his arms and took Raijin by the waist and hand. Raijin settled a hefty paw on Seifer's shoulder. Fujin thought this must have been how ridiculous she and Seifer looked together. Raijin towered at least two heads over Seifer, but it was clear that Seifer was the one who would lead this dance.

"Ready? And, _one_ two three _one_ two three…"

Fujin had never seen Raijin look more awkward, looking down at his feet while Seifer steered him around the balcony. She would start laughing if she wasn't careful, and she'd already made enough of a fool of herself that evening. Seifer was already struggling to keep to his own beat, he'd lost the burst of energy that had fueled him in the ballroom and was succumbing to his tired body. He ended up stepping on Raijin's foot.

"Damnit!" he shouted, shoving Raijin's chest and breaking away, running his shaky hands over his short hair. Raijin scowled, looking hurt.

"Hey, what'd you do that for? We were doing good."

Seifer angrily whipped around, looking ready to blurt out something about a clumsy oaf that would probably end with someone in tears, so Fujin quickly grabbed Raijin and forced him to face her.

"TEACH," she commanded.

Raijin cheered up immediately. "Okay, ya gotta put your hands here, first, then we gotta start taking steps. It's easy, just follow me. It's like…_one…two…three_, ya know?"

Raijin was patient and went slowly around the balcony while Seifer shivered by himself in the corner, sulking.

"Hey, she's doing really good!" Raijin cried, pulling away and guiding Fujin through a spin under his arm.

"Like watching paint dry," Seifer faked a yawn, fingers twitching over his chin.

"GENTLEMAN," Fujin said haughtily, her am returning to rest over Raijin's.

Seifer visibly bristled and he pushed himself off the wall, heading for the door.

"The hell am I doing here, anyway? You two can stay here if you want but I'm getting out."

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Raijin protested, his voice falling on deaf ears.

Fujin's hand shot out like a reflex and tightly clutched a handful of Seifer's long sleeve. There was a shocking amount of annoyance and surprise in the look Seifer gave her. She didn't know whether to meet his gaze right in the eye or not. She swallowed, opening her mouth to say something right that would make him feel better. Words died on her tongue, but Seifer didn't leave and he patiently waited for her.

"AGAIN?" she suggested.

Seifer shrugged. "Sure."

He held out his arm and Fujin stared at it for a second before she looped her arm through his. Raijin was squirming with excitement as he followed them back inside. Securely tucked by Seifer's side, Fujin looped her fingers through Seifer's, clasping his hand firmly. He squeezed back, his hand finally stopped shaking.

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"_Grant me wings that I might fly. My restless soul is longing. No pain remains, no feeling…"_

VNV Nation

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End of the first movement.


End file.
